OBX: A Memorial Day Tradition

OUTERBANKS, NC- It's a yearly tradition on the East Coast for all the single Mormons to head to the Outerbanks of North Carolina for some fun in the sun at a place called Duck Beach. Hundreds and hundreds of YSA's flock to the coast from all over the country to get in on the action...

You may remember my video summation from two years ago (it's still pretty accurate):

I start with our daily bike rides along the beach and to breathtaking views of lighthouses. Yes, our beach mansion, named Ocean's Grace, came equipped with bikes. It was pure bliss. (And yes, I am aware that I am in need of some major arm definition. I'm working on it. Back off.)

Next, we have some good, quality beach time. Wish I would have gotten a wide shot of the entire beach, or at least filmed a video clip, so you could see the sun bathing/football throwing/frisbee chasing/ocean soaking/fool making pandemonium unfold. It's entertaining just sitting back and watching it all. There's nothing quite like hundreds of LDS singles strutting their stuff in the sand. This particular picture is with my good friends, Amanda and Melissa. Melissa is one of my favorite Florida friends who made the trek to Duck. I will be forever grateful that she risked her life to come.

Next up we have a little BYU reunion of sorts. My senior year, I constantly hung out with the same crew... Justin Smith, Joe Burton and Nicki Dittemore, to name a few (The group used to be bigger, but the others are now married, of course). Here we are, meeting up on the east coast, seven years later. Nicki and I via DC, Justin via California, and Joe via England. It sure was good hanging out with them! There were also others from the BYU 61st Ward who stayed in our house for Duck, but they didn't make the cut in these pictures. Maybe next year.

And lastly, on our way back to DC, we made a stop in Richmond to visit this little guy... he sure is cute! And the perfect way to end a fantastic weekend:

(Disclaimer: This video was actually taken a few weeks ago. But my camera died at the beach, so this is the most current video I have of Mr. JB)

It Took a Month to Stop an Oil Leak?

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- I've had a hard time fully grasping how it could take so long to stop this oil leak in the Gulf Coast. Seriously, I know there's a lot to it, but no one could come up with a quicker method to stop millions of galloons of oil from leaking into our ocean and onto our lands?!

Today officials finally claim the "Top Kill" method successfully stopped the leak... at least for now. I have been wondering how exactly the whole thing works or what made it stop that hasn't worked with their other methods? Maybe no one else finds this fascinating, and perhaps I'm the only one who is completely enthralled by all this... but FINALLY someone broke it all down today and put it in simple terms that made sense. Thank you Bill Nye "the Science Guy" for making it sound so easy. (But then again, if it was so easy, why couldn't they have stopped it sooner????)

Happy Mother's Day

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Happy Mother's Day to my mom who is celebrating her first Mother's Day as a grandma. I know she couldn't be more proud of her family. And we couldn't ask for a more loving mother. She has been telling me repeatedly for months that all she wanted me to do for her today was make her a video of her two grandkids... So, mom, here it is... Enjoy! They sure are cute little stinkers...

Last One Standing

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- It has finally come to this. I am, once again, living life officially by myself. No more family around. It's just me. (On the count of three... pooooooor Andreaaaa) Life is a funny thing. I moved here to be closer to my siblings. And now... they've done it... they've all moved away and left me in their dust. (Britt leaves next month!).

Amy has been my sidekick for the last two years. As much of a pain in the butt sisters can be to each other sometimes (and we know it) I don't think I'll ever miss anyone more than I'm going to miss her.

I'll be honest, it took awhile to adjust having family nearby again after I had lived away from them for so long. I had been flying solo for several years, and I just got used to it. It was just me, and I loved the independence. But now I've gotten used to having them around again, and I prefer it that way. I may have shed a tear or two when the little Maizer packed her bags and left. There'll be no more baseball games, no more random shopping trips (maybe that's a good thing), and no more Abe therapy. I'm going to miss this kid. She's become one of my best friends. And I guess that's the way it ought to be.

Thanks John for the fantastic photography :)

I officially hand over my duties of watching out for her to this guy... and I wish him luck (lots of it)! :) He's a lucky guy to get a girl as magnificent as Amy.

Trip to Sweden: Check!

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN - I feel like I just left for Sweden yesterday, and yet I've already returned. Vacations are never long enough. But I had a great time! It was a fun trip, filled with lots of time with a cute, energetic nephew...

Good company... (yes, that is Michael "superman style" in his stroller. Hey, the kid needs some diversity to stay happy.)

Old buildings in the oldest city in Sweden... Sigtuna.

More time with a cute kid...

Good food (yes, that is a Belgium waffle covered in chocolate and whipped cream, and yes, it was amazing)

More time with a cute, rambunctious kid...

...and great views all over a spectacular city!

And finally... a little video for your viewing pleasure, illustrating one of the innovative ways Rob and Lorena have found to keep Michael happy... you've got to love this kid!

Why is it that vacations always seem to
go by too quickly? Who wants to go on the next one?

Thanks Rob and Lorena for a great week!

My Thoughts on Health Care Reform

WASHINGTON, D.C. - My mom forwarded this to me. I think it sums up my thoughts on health care reform quite nicely.

Let me get this straight. We're going to be gifted with a health care plan written by a committee whose chairman says he doesn't understand it,  passed by a Congress that hasn't read it but exempts themselves from it, to be signed by a president who also hasn't read it and who smokes, with funding administered by a treasury chief who didn't pay his taxes, to be overseen by a surgeon general who is obese, and financed by a country that's broke. 

What the *heck could possibly go wrong?

*expletive changed to adhere to my blog's code of conduct

Dear Utahns...

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- This blog post is dedicated to EVERYONE who lives in Utah... So, listen up all you Utahns... I have something important I want to share...

Ever since I gave up my "dream job" of being a news reporter to follow my instincts and move to our nation's capital, I thought my days of an exciting career were over. Boy was I wrong. It had just begun. When I first decided to make the move, I felt strongly impressed to work on Capitol Hill. Turns out those jobs aren't exactly easy to come by (especially if you're a Republican), but eventually a job opened up in a Utah senator's office, and I knew I had made the right decision and God was watching out for me.

Every day I wake up excited to go to work. It's not as action packed as my reporting job, but I know it's exactly what I'm supposed to be doing and exactly where I am supposed to be. And it's because of this man that I know I'm in the right place. Sen. Bennett is one of the most respected and conservative senators on Capitol Hill. He has strong values that I know he firmly believes in and it shows in the way he interacts and works with our staff and other members of the Senate, and in the way he wants to get the job done to make Utah and our country a better place. I am grateful to be working on Capitol Hill because of who and what I represent.

Sen. Bennett is actively working to create jobs to help our economy and to get our nation out of its giant sea of debt. He brought TRAX to Utah and is fighting the Obama administration to get oil and gas production in Utah so our nation is less dependent on foreign oil, he puts on workshops every year for Utah small business owners to help boost their business and provide them with tools to succeed, and has fought every step of the way to defeat the nasty health care plan that just passed yesterday. I could name a list of a thousand things that he has done to help better the beehive state. But I'll let you learn more for yourself by clicking here. You can also visit the senator's YouTube site by clicking here. You will find many different videos of floor speeches, TV interviews, committee hearings and a series called Bennett's Bottom Line where he helps explain his position on key issues and votes.

This year he is up for reelection. There has been a lot of negative, dirty messages spread by outside groups (none being from Utah, ironically). They've sent emails and letters, pamphlets, and have even produced some pretty ridiculous TV commercials. You can read the truth and rebuttals to those false advertisements by clicking here. Then there are other Utahns who say he has been in too long (though Utah's other senator has been in twice as long and no one ever mentions it. Funny.) or that he is too "Washington" (whatever that means). So, I don't buy those excuses for anyone to not support him.

The fact of the matter is, Sen. Bennett is the right man for the job. We are at a critical juncture in our nation's history. The national debt is too deep, too many jobs are dissipating and too many dirty, dishonest politicians keep creeping into Washington. Sen. Bennett is part of the solution, and not part of the problem. He is one of the smartest people I have ever met. He knows anything about everything and can explain it to anyone. I am constantly blown away by his knowledge and wisdom and his understanding of how the government works (or doesn't work for that matter). He has more energy than all of our staff combined. It's hard to keep up with him sometimes! He knows how to fix things and get things done and has been doing so for the last three terms. And he will continue to do so if he is reelected. His priority is the people of Utah.

On Tuesday, March 23, you have the opportunity to get involved. Neighborhood caucuses will be held throughout the state for you to elect delegates to head to Utah's convention on May 8. Those delegates will get to choose who goes on to the election and who heads to the United States Senate as one of Utah's two senators. Sure, I love my job. I'd love to keep it for six more years. But, I love my country and the state of Utah even more. Sen. Bennett is the right man for the job. You won't just be doing a favor for me if you head to your caucus. You'll be doing a favor for yourself by getting involved. And you'll be doing a favor for everyone else in Utah by electing a man who truly makes a difference.

If you want more information about where your meeting is, click here. Feel free to share this blog post with your friends and family who want more information or who would like to learn more about Bennett or even just the caucus process. I probably should have posted this weeks ago... but nothing works better than pushing me to a deadline. It's just the reporter in me.

Thanks for listening... now get to your caucus meeting! :)

P.S. This is not "endorsed" by my office... it is just me writing a personal blog post as a Utahn and nothing more.